A Tidal Wave of Calumnies

120,000 people die in a horrific disaster--but to the Outfoxed gals it's
just another opportunity to play politics and tell lies. Updated!

A disaster of Biblical proportions leaves an area devasated and possibly
hundreds of thousands dead. To most people, this is a time to unite and help the
victims recover from an unimaginable tragedy. But to the newshounds (another
fine product of the Outfoxed cabal), it is a golden opportunity to take dishonest
cheap
shots:

Media Lies [sic] About "Initial" Bush Tsunami Aid Package
"As we told you earlier, the United States has upped its tsunami relief aid to $350 million. That is ten times the initial amount, but is it enough to shut those stingy comments up?"...to be accurate, the initial amount was a pitiful, paltry, sickening $400,000. The $400,000 increased to $15 million and then to $35 million yesterday. However, the press, Fox included, seems to have wiped the history of this story from the books. The "initial" amount is now being reported as $35 million while the true "initial" amount was $400,000.

Emboldened
by the fact that we didn't immediately jump in to point out it's not the media
who were lying, but rather Melanie, the newspups followed up with yet another
entry repeating
their
falsehoods:

Chris Wallace repeated the misinformation that "the initial pledge, which was $35 million, is in fact less money than is going to be spent on president Bush's inauguration, and the current number, $350 million, is still pretty small compared to the 13 billion that Congress allocated for hurricane relief in Florida last fall."...I can only guess that they want to avoid saying the real original pledge was $400,000, because it looks CHEAP. Even the next pledge of $15 million was stingy - we were being humiliated by our government again.

Unfortunately,
the tail-waggers are again barking up the wrong tree. Let's inventory the
falsehoods...no wait, we should use Melanie's terms...let's inventory the lies
the newspoodles are spreading:

1. The real original pledge was
$400,000Lie. This was money that came from the accounts of four embassies
in the region. This money was immediately released so that aid could get to the
area without any delay. The $400,000 had nothing
to do with any pledge.

B. Even the next pledge of $15
million was stingyLie. The $15 million figure came from Colin Powell, who
early on said that he expected the pledge to come in around $15 million. As
details of the situation became clearer, so did Mr Powell's
expectations.

III. The pledge increased from $15 million to $35
millionLie. The pledge was not $15 million in the first place. When the US
made its first pledge, even the New York Times admits the
amount was $35 million.

Of the course the hounds don't care
about facts when they can get on their high horses and
spout:

This continued misstatement on Fox is a classic example of why they are not to be trusted as journalists.

Hmm.
What does this say about Reuters, the AP, the New York Times? Apparently the cur
critics don't think any of them can be "trusted as journalists" since they all
seem to agree with Fox. No, the newspups prefer more
reliable sources.

To make a simple mistake is human and
easily forgiven and forgotten. To deliberately repeat a falsehood over and over,
trying to convince viewers it is the truth, is propagandizing.

That's
kind of what we thought when we saw Melanie's piece with all its
mistakes lies. But then the newspups did it again in a second
article. To deliberately repeat a falsehood over and over, trying to convince
readers it is the truth, is propagandizing.

Words to live
by.

Update: The Times has now decided they were incorrect in
reporting the initial pledge as $35 million [hat tip to reader Doug A].
Unfortunately, the Times does not cite any source for its new figures, and we
have not seen similar corrections from Associated Press, CBS, or Reuters. So
while the Times has backtracked,
the actual facts remain a bit murky. But we will assume for our purposes that
the Times is correct, and we have no hesitation in acknowledging
it.

But what about the newspooches? It's been over a week since they
published the blatantly false claim that the initial pledge was $400,000. That
was disproven in a matter of hours after it was posted. Yet the article sits
there, trumpeting misinformation in bold print, with no attempt to acknowledge,
let alone correct, their falsehood. Par for the course with the hounds, and an
example of the difference between factual analysis and rabid propaganda.

Micahel
Johnny, thanks for what you do. I have been over there waiting for
Melanie to correct her "intentional distortion" on this issue.

She will not, but why did I expect her to.

The Hounds are so deeply out to get FoxNews that they fail to see the
dishonesty in most of their posts.

Keep up the good work.
January 3, 2005, 3:54:10 PM EST – Like – Reply
johnny dollar
If the newspups actually put up corrections for every falsehood,
distortion, and lie they perpetrated, they wouldn't have any time to
write new articles. Hey, that's not a bad thought!
January 3, 2005, 4:05:10 PM EST – Like – Reply
johnny dollar
[Message moved from another thread]:

Johnny, Off topic I know but, are the folks over at newshounds always
so dishonest?

They slowely change the core of the debate when they are proven wrong.

Seems they are so blinded by their hatred for Fox and Bush that they
can't think clearly.

[originallyposted by Michael]
January 5, 2005, 12:40:14 AM EST – Like – Reply
johnny dollar
The short, and best, answer to your question is 'yes'. Just check our
back articles for documentation.
January 5, 2005, 12:40:48 AM EST – Like – Reply
Guest
So now the U.S. pledges $427M roughly the same as Canada (pop. 32.5
million). You must be so proud.
January 12, 2005, 11:21:46 AM EST – Like – Reply